Imitation gold or colored leaf.



KARL E. OLSON, OF IRVINGTON, NEW JERSEY.

IMITATION GOLD OR COLORED LEAF.

Specification of Letters Patent.

.lat'cnted May 28, 1918.

No Drawing. Original application filed March 2, 1915, Serial No. 11,635. Divided and this application filed September 18. 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I. Kain. E. ()LsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing in the town of Irvington, county of Essex, and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new anduseful lIl'lPI'OVGUlBDlLS in imitation Gold or (olorcd Leaf. of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in imitation colored or metallic leaf, and more particularly to imitation gold leaf.

One object of the invention is to provide a leaf having a high degree of self-adhesivencss and which at the same time is pliant, may be easily manufactured, may be handled in the ordinary way without danger ofbreaking to pieces, and when used commer cially, for example, in book-binding, shall present the desirable characteristics of brilliancy. luster. covering power, and durability. A further object is to form a leaf having the desirable characteristics mentioned and which leaf, when used in the process of stamping or embossing, particularly in boo-kbinding, may be readily brushed away from the imprint of the dies upon. the book cases or covers.

Another object is to provide a leaf of the kind mentioned which may be manufactured at a lower cost by reducing the quantity both of nitrocellulose used as a binder and of amylaoetate used as a solvent therefor. This object is attained by the substitution in part for such binder of a cheaper mate rial, acting as a binder, and in part by substituting for the nitrocellulose solvent the cheaper solvent of such substitute binder.

The invention comprises a thin leaf or film containing a coloring matter, a binder therefor which will dry rapidly and aid in effecting the ready removal of the film from the support upon which it is formed. and a relatively large amount of an adhesive, either a gum or resin, which possesses both binding, adhesive and brittling qualities for example, gum elemi.

This application is a division of my copending application Serial Number 11,635, filed March 2, 1.915, which has eventuated into Patent No. 1,158,265.

The preferred ingredients and the proportions used in producin the film are as follows: A solution of solu le cotton (nitrocellulose) in amylacetate and benzin is prepared containing approximately 3.6 per Serial No. 51,426.

cent. by weight of soluble cotton. The relative proportion of amylacctate to benzin will vary in practice. Good results have obtained by using these ingredients in the zipl'iroxiinaie proportion of three parts amylacetate to one of bcuzin. To thls solution, weighing approximately twenty-nine and one-half ounces and containing about one ounce of soluble cotton, is added two ounces of gum eleini dissolved in one pint of a thinner solution. a mixture of amylacetatc and benzin like the solvent for soluble cotton above, or, as pointed out below, preferably containing a relatively larger con tent of benzin. Since the soluble cotton is the most expensive ingredient employed, the excess of gum over the soluble cotton materially reduces the cost. This is true not onlyf'rom the standpoint of the relatively lower cost of the eleini compared to the soluble cotton, but also from the standpoint that the introduction of clcmi in solution permits the use of a. larger proportion of benzin, benzol, or other equivalent, in connection with the amylacetate employed as solvent for the cotton. This extra benzin as introduced with the elemi solution mingles well with the cotton solution and causes no precipitation thereof. Since benzin is a cheaper solvent by far than amylacetate, its increase in the leaf-forming solution further lessens the cost of the leaf. The incorporation of the proportion of gum elemi stated in the leaf-forming solution presents a double advantage in that such added resin performs a double function in the formed leaf. Gum elemi is unique among resins in that it has the capacity to serve as a binder for the bronze powder employed, in this respect acting as does the nitrocellulose, which it in part replaces as a binder. It further operates to provide the quality of brittling the leaf, thereby modifying the too great toughness resultant from the employment of pure nitrocellulose and bronze powder only. These advantages thus attained are accompanied by the further advantage due to the presence of a esin or gum in imitation metallic leaves, namely, that under the heat of the stamping press the leaf softens, the gum becomes sticky, and the leaf is caused to readily adhere to the surface stamped. This avoids the necessity either for sizing the leaf or sizing the book-cover. This last recited feature of advantage is attained by the leaf of my Patent No. 992,743, but the present improvement is markedly superior thereto in that a greater increased proportion of gun: elenii is usable than of other gums known to me, and the self-sizing property of the leaf is thereby so much the greater, so that substantially all kinds of book cloth may be stamped therewith and all classes of leather, excepting those of a. very greasy nature. 7

In using the ingredients as above indicated, a leaf has been obtained which upon analysis shows that its constitution is as follows:

Soluble cotton 6.94:7, Gum clemi A 11.03% Bronze powder 80.36% It is to be noted in connection with this analysis that the discrepancy between 98.33% and the theoretical total, 100%, namely 1.67%, is probably due-to yolatilization and loss of portions of the gum elemi during analysis. This gum contains volatile matter, at least part of which would, of course, be lost upon heating.

It is to be further noted that the percentage of bronze shown on analysis is somewhat higher than would be expected by theoretical calculations, and the percentage of soluble cotton and gum elemi somewhat lower. This is probably due in large part to reaction between the bronze and the other ingredients mentioned, giving substances not readily soluble or practically insoluble in the ordinary solvents for these substances.

The film produced, using the formula named for the film-forming mixture, is of exceptional luster and brilliancy and has a relatively great adhesive property. The film may be handled immediately after its manufacture and while still Wet, or after storage, with no danger of its breaking up, and possesses generally in a high degree the characteristics set forth as the objects of applicants invention.

It is to be understood that although I have mentioned specifically certain proportions for the various ingredients entering into the leaf composition, I do not wish to be limited thereto, except as indicated in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim:

1. A self-supporting leaf or film comprising soluble cotton, a coloring matter, and gum elemi, the proportion of gum elemi present being in excess of that of the'soluble cotton.

2. A self-supporting leaf or film comprising soluble cotton, a coloring matter, and gum elemi, the proportion of gum elemi to soluble cotton being approximately as two to one.

3. A self-supporting leaf or film comprising soluble cotton, a metallic coloring matter incorporated thereimand gum elemi, the total quantity of gum elemi and soluble cotton being approximately 19%, of which gum elemi constitutes more than half.

4. A self-supporting leaf or film comprising soluble cotton, bronze powder incorporated therein, and approximately 12% of gum elemi.

5. A self-supporting leaf or film comprising the following ingredients in approximately the proportions stated: soluble cotton 7%, gum elemi 12%, bronze powder 81%.

6. An imitation gold leaf comprising a binder, a metallic coloring matter, and gum elemi.

KARL E. OLSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Eatents,

Washington, D. 0. 

